Ex-President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the incarceration of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for endangering ICE Officers!" Trump posted on his platform early Wednesday. "The Illinois governor as well!"
The two leaders are members of the Democratic faction.
These remarks coincide with the deployment of state military troops in the Chicago region following directives from the federal administration, despite vehement protests from state officials including the governor and mayor.
"This marks yet another attempt where Trump has sought to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on that day. "I am staying anywhere."
Pritzker also replied via online channels, declaring: "I refuse to back down. Trump is now demanding arrests of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the path to complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had arrived at the Elwood training facility, an army base roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the administration advances with its aggressive urban crime policy and immigration enforcement operations.
The president has labeled Chicago a "crime-ridden hellhole", even though police data indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, such as homicides.
On Wednesday, two hundred Texas National Guard troops were expected to deploy to the region, with an additional three hundred state military personnel preparing to mobilize, per reports. Officials indicated the troops would not perform police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were observed at the military facility in the town. Vehicles labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in rows. Extra barriers was installed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions over the military base for safety concerns until early December.
Federal authorities has escalated immigration enforcement in the city in the past month, sparking protests, especially near an processing facility in a Chicago suburb.
On Monday, Illinois and Chicago initiated legal action targeting the federal government, seeking to block the National Guard deployment, urging a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and risky".
A court hearing on their lawsuit is set for the next day.
Mayor Johnson also issued an executive order on Monday prohibiting federal immigration agents and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused Trump of using military forces as "political props" and "pawns".
During a press briefing on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "justify and make acceptable the presence of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law limits the military's role in enforcing domestic laws. However, the president has stated he would be willing to activate the emergency powers, which permits a president to dispatch active duty military in states that are failing to put down an insurrection or are resisting federal law.
Since starting his second term, Trump has dispatched or mentioned deploying troops to at least 10 cities, such as major metropolitan areas and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the armed forces is necessary to fight violence and defend immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses nationwide has declined in the past few years. In the city, for instance, homicides were down 31% to under three hundred through late summer, according to law enforcement reports.
New survey data released on Wednesday revealed that most Americans oppose the deployment of military forces without an foreign danger.
